A Ka-Band Power Amplifier using a Novel Double-Sided Slotted Waveguide Structure

In recent years, the development of solid state monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) technology has led into great advances in the design and development of microwave and millimetre-wave devices. Power amplifiers based on MMIC technology need to provide high output powers, broad bandwidth, high linearity and low noise among other characteristics. At single device level at high frequencies, MMIC’s are not able to provide great amount of output power. Therefore, in order to achieve enough power, it is necessary to combine several chips, leading to a new challenge of creating power dividers/combiners that allow the efficient amplification of the signals.

At Ka-band frequencies (26 – 40 GHz), the size of the components poses a new challenge in designing power combiners since the space for placing the chips is highly reduced, thus needing novel techniques and smart designs for allowing a big number of chips as well as providing a good heat sinking for the heat generated.

This talk describes the design of a 12 way power combiner compatible with MMIC power amplifier technology using a novel double side slotted waveguide structure. The objective is to use this combiner to obtain higher power amplifiers at Ka-band frequencies.